Stone Mafia Attacks DFO in Rohtas; Two Policemen Injured
Patna: Sept. 24, 2007
Thousands of villagers suspected to be part of the stone mafia in Rohtas district on Monday attacked the District Forest Officer (DFO) Arvinder Singh when he and his security team tried to seize 8 tractors filled with illegally mined stones from a protected area.
As reported, Singh, acting on some tips arrived at the Dawanpur protected forest area where illegal mining was supposedly taking place.
Seeing the law enforcement officials, the villagers pelted them with stones and bricks in which two police officials were injured.
The police, in retaliation, fired more than 50 rounds in the air to disperse the mob. After nearly two hours of stand-off, the crowd left but not before taking away the 8 seized tractors with them.
The DFO was not hurt in the incident.
Raids were being conducted in the area by a police team led by Superintendent of Police (SP) N. H. Khan. However, till the time of reporting the police had failed to make any arrest or recover the tractors.
FIRs were lodged against three dozen unidentified men in the district.
It may be recalled that the same mafia was responsible for the February 2002 killing of former DFO Sanjay Singh who, like Singh, was also determined to wipe out the stone mafia in the Kaimur region.
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